LIVE From the Ruby Princess - Our European Adventure - July 4th to 16th

[san diego sue]

Thank you for your very descriptive review. We were on the Ruby in May.

Ephesus was the highlight of our cruise as well. (Venice a very close second)

Once you have done this cruise, don't think any other one can top this.:D

[hbcruiser]

My husband and I were on this cruise last July (actually Barcelona to Venice). We fell in love with the ship, crew, food and the itinerary. What is not to love. Have been reading the "live from" and it is wonderful to relive the moments. We were unlucky when the ship arrived at Rome. The harbor was tooooo windy and the ship could not enter, so we skipped Rome and had another day at sea. Many on the ship were upset, but it was for the safety of all. With the schedule we were keeping, the extra day of rest was nice. We are sailing again on the Ruby August 9, and we will see Rome since the ship leaves from there. We fly three days early to see Rome and transfer to the ship on 8/9. Can't wait to see her again as well as Godwin etc (hope he will be there), since there is no better. This itinerary is slightly different...adding some more Greek stops. Looking forward to it all.....but I do remember the heat!!!!! 112 in Florence and everywhere else after that stop.

[55J5-5]

My husband and I were on this cruise last July (actually Barcelona to Venice). We fell in love with the ship, crew, food and the itinerary. What is not to love. Have been reading the "live from" and it is wonderful to relive the moments. We were unlucky when the ship arrived at Rome. The harbor was tooooo windy and the ship could not enter, so we skipped Rome and had another day at sea. Many on the ship were upset, but it was for the safety of all. With the schedule we were keeping, the extra day of rest was nice. We are sailing again on the Ruby August 9, and we will see Rome since the ship leaves from there. We fly three days early to see Rome and transfer to the ship on 8/9. Can't wait to see her again as well as Godwin etc (hope he will be there), since there is no better. This itinerary is slightly different...adding some more Greek stops. Looking forward to it all.....but I do remember the heat!!!!! 112 in Florence and everywhere else after that stop.

 

Hey, we are on the same cruise!!! come on over to the thread and chat. There are a few tours with openings still if your interested. Also a Gelato crawl set up.

[snookymom]

Great review. Just found it today & I'm glad I did.:D

[SwKnight]

Same cruise; different blogger; different perspective. I'm lovin' it! :D

 

Hope to see you in the future. ;)

 

We're trying HAL for the first time in October.

 

However, we are looking at the Star or Ruby (even though they kept their 7th floor doors open last year in the Caribbean for a 80 degree CABIN cruise with the air on full blast) next year.

[san diego sue]

Hi SwKnight. this is San diego sue (Gloria),(we sailed on the Dawn Princess with you).

Pia will be here in San Diego area in August(at our house).

[Pia1913]

Hope to see you in the future. ;)

 

We're trying HAL for the first time in October.

 

However, we are looking at the Star or Ruby (even though they kept their 7th floor doors open last year in the Caribbean for a 80 degree CABIN cruise with the air on full blast) next year.

 

Hi Steve...

 

If you're looking at the Star, come join us in Feb/March.

[Kimmer17]

Day 6 – Istanbul (not Constantinople)

I have a new definition of awesomeness for all my loyal followers out there in CC-land.

Awesomeness: Getting back to the boat after a day in Istanbul and realizing you still have an entire week left of cruising.

To quote (not really) the classic coming out movie for Steve Martin….The Jerk….”The first day felt like….2 days…and the second day felt like…well….just a day….but the THIRD day….felt like four days…..(and on and on).

Anyways…another rude awakening by the magical phone lady at 6:30 AM today brought us to opening the curtain to blue skies….but clouds in the distance. We knew quite early that we were in store for a rainy day in Istanbul. A ***** of mine has always been not to worry about things you can’t control….like the weather. Fortunately, we had already purchased an umbrella during our wonderful thunderstorm in Venice. As well, we had no less than 200 people try to sell us umbrellas in Istanbul today….more about that later.

Another room service breakfast where Kim actually forgot to order any actual food, and we were dressed and off to the cattle herding in the Princess Theatre. Our tour today was to include the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace with Harem, lunch, Carpet Demonstration (skipped it) with Grand Bazaar, and finally, Hagia Sophia….a very busy day leaving at 9:00 AM and returning at 5:00 PM.

We met our guide, Mourat, who was very friendly and enthusiastic. While he was no John (who is, really?), he did a great job for the most part. While the streets of Athens were quite crazy, they were put to shame by the streets of Istanbul. I still haven’t figured out what were roads and what were not….if a car can fit, then people would drive on it. Make sure you stay aware of the cars.

The city itself is quite beautiful and well taken care of. It is not as pristine as Kudasi, but then again….15 million people live there. As we got off the bus at the Blue Mosque, we were inundated with people selling their wares. If you are in the market for an umbrella, a postcard, a silly looking hat, or a scarf, then Istanbul will offer you more than your heart desires.

The Blue Mosque was a wonderful experience. We have never been in an Islamic Mosque, and my understanding is that non-Muslims were not permitted, but I was told this isn’t necessarily true. As we got to the entrance of the Mosque, shoes had to be removed and placed in a plastic bag that Mourat provided to us. Inside was something to behold. There is no point in going into a description, as there is much to see, and must be experienced.

After putting on our soaked shoes, we walked a short distance to Topkapi Palace. The Palace is vast, with sections covering a huge amount of space. The tour is quite interesting, really showing how the Sultan once lived. The Harem section, which is an extra tour, was also quite interesting. Apparently, there is no longer a Sultan ruling Turkey, and thus, no more actual Harem. This was received as quite a disappointment to many of the men on the tour. lol. While we enjoyed the Palace, it wasn’t really our cup of tea. Not that it wasn’t impressive…..it certainly was. I just paled in comparison, in my opinion, to the other two main stops. My personal favorite thing at the Palace was the Doner (Sliced Chicken on a bun) I had at the restaurant there. MMMMMMMMMM.

From here we were taken to a hotel for lunch. While some people really enjoyed the ethnic lunch, I am way too picky of an eater to enjoy it. I can’t condemn it, as it would be more of a condemnation of my lack of culinary adventure. Kim enjoyed it more than me, for sure.

After lunch came our trip to the Grand Bizzarre….er…..Bazaar. We slipped out while the group was being taken in for a carpet demonstration. While we don’t regret our decision, we did hear that it was quite a neat demonstration, and there wasn’t a hard sell at the end.

The Grand Bazaar was a very interesting experience. Finding a price for anything here is like a game. It’s amazing how many Turkish merchants have 12 starving children at home. All prices are to be negotiated. We actually had fun with it, although some of the merchants can be a little too aggressive for us. The inside Bazaar had very little that we were interested in. If want to buy some jewelry that may or may not be real, then this is the place for you. We were surprised at the massiveness of the place. We actually went off the beaten path a little bit, and went outside where we found some more interesting shops. We were able to strike up a few deals along the way.

Now a little background about myself…..in University I studied a lot of Fine Art History, and Music History. I still hear the sounds of my professors telling us we must go to (insert place here…usually the Louvre) and see (insert work of art or sculpture or architecture here). One of the places I have always remembered studying is the Hagia Sophia. The images I studied twenty years ago still remain vivid in my memory. Of all the places I wanted to see on our European Adventure, the Hagia Sophia was tied for number one with the Vatican. ( Side note….I would now include St. Mark’s Square in Venice, and most definitely the Ancient Ruins of Ephesus).

Entering the Hagia Sophia was incredible for both Kim and I. What an incredible sight. Again, I will not even try to describe something so vast, and beautiful. After Mourat gave us a 20 minute spiel about some of the aspects of the now Mosque, we were told we had ten minutes to look around before we had to meet the bus. TEN MINUTES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TEN FREAKIN’ MINUTES!!!!!!!!!!! This after spending 2 hours at the Bazzaar to buy trinkets. Anyways, I will assume I don’t need to explain our disappointment any further. We could easily have spent an entire day looking around. The Mosque, which was originally built as a Catholic Church, remains one of the only sites in the world (and certainly the most grandiose in both stature and history) where the Islam and Catholicism exist together. Sometimes in an effort to pack everything into a day, the most important needs are not attended to. Kim and I looked around, and held the group up for about 10 minutes. While we felt a little bad, we also felt a little better. A little selfish, I know….but the Hagia Sophia still remains on our list of places we need to explore. We still leave with a sense of awe and satisfaction.

We returned to the boat, had a short nap and had dinner with a couple friends we had met earlier in the week. We ate at the Grill tonight, which was well worth the extra charge of $25 each. What a great steak. We spent the rest of the night in the Casino having fun.

A couple last things….firstly….we saw at least a couple of men lurking within our group today, obviously trying to pick pockets……be aware and don’t make it easy for them. Secondly, all of the sites we saw today are very close together. I would recommend doing Istanbul on your own if you are comfortable with it. We spent very little time in the bus. While our guide was great, I would still think about doing this on our own, or with a couple of friends.

Tomorrow we dock in Mykonos and are going to the beach, followed by a day at sea….we are looking forward to kicking back a bit. I want to thank you all for your kind comments on the board. It is quite an inspiration for me to keep on writing my lengthy and often overly verbose updates. I am grateful that, upon the conclusion of the trip, I will have a log or our Adventures. I apologize for missing questions along the way. Ciao from Turkey.

[mycruz]

Still loving the posts, thank you!

[Flyer]

Awesome report. Is the anything I can to to encourage you to do more? :) Outstanding reports and especially valuable to my wife and I. Looking forward to reading the next installment. Thanks. BTW, your wife is still right...look at your following. :)

[ShipOFools]

great thread. reading today for first time

We were on the Ruby in mid June Venice to Rome. Mykonos was great but hot. Took the southern bus station bus to Platis Gialos (Platis Yialos) is one of the most popular beaches of Mykonos. Well-organized, sandy and clean, Platis Gialos is easy to reach from the capital village.

One great feature about the ports is the Princess TV channel around 6pm broadcasts a show about the next days locations and tour expectations. Based on this we changed our beach and lunch location and were not disappointed.

Enjoy

[teetee91477]

great thread. reading today for first time

We were on the Ruby in mid June Venice to Rome. Mykonos was great but hot. Took the southern bus station bus to Platis Gialos (Platis Yialos) is one of the most popular beaches of Mykonos. Well-organized, sandy and clean, Platis Gialos is easy to reach from the capital village.

One great feature about the ports is the Princess TV channel around 6pm broadcasts a show about the next days locations and tour expectations. Based on this we changed our beach and lunch location and were not disappointed.

Enjoy

 

So, it's really that easy to hop on a Bus and head to the beach? I don't want to get lost or miss a bus that will get me back to the boat on time!

[J&Jtravelcouple]

Another great report Kimmer, thanks! Even though our trip will not go to Istanbul, it was still very interesting reading about your experience there. 2 hours in the bazaar and 10 minutes in the site of interest is what gives planned tours a bad name. Still, it sounded like a great day!

[Lynda90]

Thank you so much for taking us along on your magic carpet ride! Loving your descriptions. :p

[kath00]

Hurraaaay! I love this blog. Keep it coming please! Katherine

[suenruss]

This is getting addictive - I should be getting ready for work, but instead I'm reading about Istanbul and looking forward even more to September when we are going on a private tour with a similar itinerary to yours (hopefully spend more than 10 mins in the Hagia Sophia) - keep up the good work! :) thanks, Sue.

[shonny1]

What company did you use for your private tours? We are on the ship 7/28 for 12 days. We have a 14 yr old with us. i am looking for tours in Athens and Santorini. We ahve already been to Venice, dubrovnik, and naples. It seems like the other Greek islands you can do on your own. Which islands had the best beaches. We definitley want to hang out at the beach, my husband and son love to parasail, snorkel and jet ski. Thanks

[suenruss]

What company did you use for your private tours? We are on the ship 7/28 for 12 days. We have a 14 yr old with us. i am looking for tours in Athens and Santorini. We ahve already been to Venice, dubrovnik, and naples. It seems like the other Greek islands you can do on your own. Which islands had the best beaches. We definitley want to hang out at the beach, my husband and son love to parasail, snorkel and jet ski. Thanks

 

Reading between the lines, with him saying he has to meet up on the ship for each tour, I think they are all Princess tours. (I may be wrong).

[ceilie1]

Thank you, we enjoy reading your entries! Coming back everyday to check.We will be doing this cruise September 15/11 but on the Star Princess.This is very addictive, you must keep this up. Thank you. Keep enjoying yourselves.

[Anubi]

When we did the Med in 2007, Istanbul was just a port of call, we didn't think much more about it. Having been there, as you say its indescribable, magical, mystical and amazing. We are definitely going back.

 

Thanks for this thread.

[ShipOFools]

So, it's really that easy to hop on a Bus and head to the beach? I don't want to get lost or miss a bus that will get me back to the boat on time!

 

Yep. One of the easier things we did. It is the small bus station in town (the Southern) and buses go to the South area beaches. We kind of knew where it was on our foot map. We followed the sea to the windmills and cut back down on the ridge road a few blocks. You buy your cheap tickets (we opted for round trip) at the little convenience store right there and it takes about 12 minutes to get to the end of the line for Platis Yialos (Gialos). I think they run every half hour. The trip back you kind of stand in an area near the beach and street where the driver left you off. The trick may be to allow time from town on foot back to the ship shuttle as the streets can be confusing- took us some time. Like I said earlier, even though we had studied up a lot ahead of time and brought lots of notes and guide materials. The Princess TV show around 6pm ( runs continuous a couple times) each night lays out a great outline of the next days ports. Great beach restaurant recommendation too.

Enjoy.:)

[Jeniceves]

Yep. One of the easier things we did. It is the small bus station in town (the Southern) and buses go to the South area beaches. We kind of knew where it was on our foot map. We followed the sea to the windmills and cut back down on the ridge road a few blocks. You buy your cheap tickets (we opted for round trip) at the little convenience store right there and it takes about 12 minutes to get to the end of the line for Platis Yialos (Gialos). I think they run every half hour. The trip back you kind of stand in an area near the beach and street where the driver left you off. The trick may be to allow time from town on foot back to the ship shuttle as the streets can be confusing- took us some time. Like I said earlier, even though we had studied up a lot ahead of time and brought lots of notes and guide materials. The Princess TV show around 6pm ( runs continuous a couple times) each night lays out a great outline of the next days ports. Great beach restaurant recommendation too.

Enjoy.:)

 

Were there shuttles to take you to town from the port? After reading some posts, it sounds like the walk from the port is dangerous. We did not purchase an excursion in Mykonos since we just want to see the town, shop and have a beverage or two! Thanks!!!

[Kimmer17]

Day 7 – Mykonos

 

You know, every once in a while a day comes along like no other….memorable in every way, in every nuance….in every detail. While this trip has already given us a plethora of memories and new experiences, today stands out as pretty damn close to a perfect day.

 

Our morning began with a sleep in until 10:00 AM (already starting on the right track!). We got ready and had a quick buffet breakfast before meeting the Hillbillies and the Bible Thumpers, as well as the City Folks outside of the Sushi Bar. While we had originally booked a Princess Beach Getaway, we decided to cancel it a couple of days ago and finally venture out on our own. To answer an earlier question, all of our previous excursions have been through Princess. While we like to think of ourselves as somewhat adventurous, we really weren’t very confident in our knowledge of the ports, and certainly didn’t want to come close to the nightmare of missing the boat.

 

We headed out to find busses that take you to the Mykonos Marina, which is right on the edge of town. This shuttle is only a couple of minutes, but there is nowhere to walk safely from the port to town, so Princess will get you started. There was no charge for this.

 

We had heard that there is a beach within walking distance, so we followed the crowds who, apparently, also had no idea where they were going. The town is beautiful and clean, filled with the white buildings one would expect to see on a Greek Island. The streets are much like a maze that take you all over the place. Kim spotted a great number of shops she wanted to check out, but finding a beach was priority number one.

 

We asked a shopkeeper directions to a beach, and were told the nearest beaches were a bus ride away. She directed us to the bus depot, which is little more than a place to part 3 or 4 busses. We decided to head out to Paradise Beach, which was one of three that had busses scheduled to go to. The bus left every half hour (the same coming home). We bought our tickets, which were 2.60 Euros return.

 

The bus takes you up the hills of Mykonos, through barren, but beautiful countryside. It was great just looking at the homes and fields along the way. The roads in Mykonos are a little scary and tight. More than a few times the bus would have to stop while an oncoming car reversed out of the way. I am very happy I haven’t had to drive any of the streets on this Adventure.

The bus dropped us off a minute walk from the beach, where there is a little store. We purchased a couple wobbly pops and walked down the beach. Paradise Beach is a fitting name for what we saw. There are a number of bars and restaurants which cater to the hundreds of people on the beach. We found a spot for the 8 of us, getting 4 palm umbrellas with two beach chairs at each. We settled in and spent the afternoon relaxing and swimming in the Aegean Sea. We all could have sat there for days on end. As a little side, Paradise Beach is a clothing optional beach. If I could quote Forrest Gump, ”That’s all I have to say about that.”

 

After eating, drinking, soaking up the sun and swimming the afternoon away, we headed back to the bus stop to catch the bus back to the town of Mykonos. Here, we all split up for shopping and wandering. We visited shops along the maze, and had a great early dinner of Gyros on a Pita, while we sat outside and soaked up the atmosphere of the town. I’ve had Gyros on a Pita at home in Toronto, but this was something special.

 

The line to catch the shuttle back to the boat was quite long when we arrived at the Marina, but it went very quickly. We headed back to the room for our now customary nap. I love the fact that we can nap from 7-9 PM and head out for our evenings on the ship. We decided to just have a quick second dinner at the Buffet, which, as usual, was sufficient. The Buffet is a place where we eat to suppress hunger, and really not too much more than that. Again…….”That’s all I have to say about that.”

 

After checking the score of the soccer game at the Movies Under the Starts (which was packed again), we headed out to our old haunt of the casino. Now I must give a little info about our casino time, as it is a place we frequent. All of the staff at the casino are amazing (as are the rest of the crew, for that matter). I don’t necessarily play cards (3-card poker is my game) to make money, although that would be a bonus. I just have fun playing, and hope to win enough to stick around. While the cards were not too kind on this occurrence, we still had fun. I am a little sheepish when I say that every time I enter the casino, I kind of feel like Norm entering the hallowed halls of Cheers….”That’s all I have to say about that.” As well, I am fearful that I have turned Kim into a lover of cards as well, as she has moved from being a little shy and watching, to playing as much as me. Some couples share gardening, or cooking…..we will be forever bonded by our new found gambling addictions. lol.

 

From here we headed up to Skywalkers to meet the New Yawkers for a drink. We didn’t find them there, but we stayed as Kim wanted to dance. The DJ was doing his best to keep everyone happy, as there were a wide variety of musical tastes in the club, as it was busy. As the music shifted from the Stones to Salsa, a group of couples from Puerto Rico took the floor. It was so amazing watching them dance together that Kim and I decided to join them. While Kim is a great dancer, I am certainly challenged, particularly when the salsa is so hot. We commented to one of the couples how beautiful they danced, and they quickly broke us off with them. Kim was able to dance with a man who had rhythm, and my new found partner tried ever so hard to teach me. We had such a blast dancing for a couple of hours.

 

Seeing as we still were nowhere close to tired, or end this memorable day, we headed back to the casino to close up the night, where we managed to win back our earlier losses, and then some. A 2:30 AM club sandwich from room service distracted Kim long enough for me to start my nightly writing ritual.

 

Our Mykonos day was all we had hoped for and more. We only wish that we could have spent a night there and enjoyed the nightlife, which is said to be incredible. We are now off to sea, with a full sea day tomorrow. We are looking forward to our Champagne Breakfast (thanks, Judy!) tomorrow morning, and our Couples Massage in the afternoon. I am hoping to get in a round at Pebble Beach on the golf simulator as well. In case anyone was wondering, the Casino opens up around 11 on Sea days. As we go to sleep we realize all we have to look forward to is a private tour of the Amalfi coast, and Day in Rome seeing the Treasures of the Vatican, as well as a host of other incredible experiences (including five days in Paris after the cruise). It’s going to take a year at least to wipe the smiles off of our smug little faces when we return to real life back home. Ciao everyone.

[Jeniceves]

Day 7 – Mykonos

 

You know, every once in a while a day comes along like no other….memorable in every way, in every nuance….in every detail. While this trip has already given us a plethora of memories and new experiences, today stands out as pretty damn close to a perfect day.

 

Our morning began with a sleep in until 10:00 AM (already starting on the right track!). We got ready and had a quick buffet breakfast before meeting the Hillbillies and the Bible Thumpers, as well as the City Folks outside of the Sushi Bar. While we had originally booked a Princess Beach Getaway, we decided to cancel it a couple of days ago and finally venture out on our own. To answer an earlier question, all of our previous excursions have been through Princess. While we like to think of ourselves as somewhat adventurous, we really weren’t very confident in our knowledge of the ports, and certainly didn’t want to come close to the nightmare of missing the boat.

 

We headed out to find busses that take you to the Mykonos Marina, which is right on the edge of town. This shuttle is only a couple of minutes, but there is nowhere to walk safely from the port to town, so Princess will get you started. There was no charge for this.

 

We had heard that there is a beach within walking distance, so we followed the crowds who, apparently, also had no idea where they were going. The town is beautiful and clean, filled with the white buildings one would expect to see on a Greek Island. The streets are much like a maze that take you all over the place. Kim spotted a great number of shops she wanted to check out, but finding a beach was priority number one.

 

We asked a shopkeeper directions to a beach, and were told the nearest beaches were a bus ride away. She directed us to the bus depot, which is little more than a place to part 3 or 4 busses. We decided to head out to Paradise Beach, which was one of three that had busses scheduled to go to. The bus left every half hour (the same coming home). We bought our tickets, which were 2.60 Euros return.

 

The bus takes you up the hills of Mykonos, through barren, but beautiful countryside. It was great just looking at the homes and fields along the way. The roads in Mykonos are a little scary and tight. More than a few times the bus would have to stop while an oncoming car reversed out of the way. I am very happy I haven’t had to drive any of the streets on this Adventure.

The bus dropped us off a minute walk from the beach, where there is a little store. We purchased a couple wobbly pops and walked down the beach. Paradise Beach is a fitting name for what we saw. There are a number of bars and restaurants which cater to the hundreds of people on the beach. We found a spot for the 8 of us, getting 4 palm umbrellas with two beach chairs at each. We settled in and spent the afternoon relaxing and swimming in the Aegean Sea. We all could have sat there for days on end. As a little side, Paradise Beach is a clothing optional beach. If I could quote Forrest Gump, ”That’s all I have to say about that.”

 

After eating, drinking, soaking up the sun and swimming the afternoon away, we headed back to the bus stop to catch the bus back to the town of Mykonos. Here, we all split up for shopping and wandering. We visited shops along the maze, and had a great early dinner of Gyros on a Pita, while we sat outside and soaked up the atmosphere of the town. I’ve had Gyros on a Pita at home in Toronto, but this was something special.

 

The line to catch the shuttle back to the boat was quite long when we arrived at the Marina, but it went very quickly. We headed back to the room for our now customary nap. I love the fact that we can nap from 7-9 PM and head out for our evenings on the ship. We decided to just have a quick second dinner at the Buffet, which, as usual, was sufficient. The Buffet is a place where we eat to suppress hunger, and really not too much more than that. Again…….”That’s all I have to say about that.”

 

After checking the score of the soccer game at the Movies Under the Starts (which was packed again), we headed out to our old haunt of the casino. Now I must give a little info about our casino time, as it is a place we frequent. All of the staff at the casino are amazing (as are the rest of the crew, for that matter). I don’t necessarily play cards (3-card poker is my game) to make money, although that would be a bonus. I just have fun playing, and hope to win enough to stick around. While the cards were not too kind on this occurrence, we still had fun. I am a little sheepish when I say that every time I enter the casino, I kind of feel like Norm entering the hallowed halls of Cheers….”That’s all I have to say about that.” As well, I am fearful that I have turned Kim into a lover of cards as well, as she has moved from being a little shy and watching, to playing as much as me. Some couples share gardening, or cooking…..we will be forever bonded by our new found gambling addictions. lol.

 

From here we headed up to Skywalkers to meet the New Yawkers for a drink. We didn’t find them there, but we stayed as Kim wanted to dance. The DJ was doing his best to keep everyone happy, as there were a wide variety of musical tastes in the club, as it was busy. As the music shifted from the Stones to Salsa, a group of couples from Puerto Rico took the floor. It was so amazing watching them dance together that Kim and I decided to join them. While Kim is a great dancer, I am certainly challenged, particularly when the salsa is so hot. We commented to one of the couples how beautiful they danced, and they quickly broke us off with them. Kim was able to dance with a man who had rhythm, and my new found partner tried ever so hard to teach me. We had such a blast dancing for a couple of hours.

 

Seeing as we still were nowhere close to tired, or end this memorable day, we headed back to the casino to close up the night, where we managed to win back our earlier losses, and then some. A 2:30 AM club sandwich from room service distracted Kim long enough for me to start my nightly writing ritual.

 

Our Mykonos day was all we had hoped for and more. We only wish that we could have spent a night there and enjoyed the nightlife, which is said to be incredible. We are now off to sea, with a full sea day tomorrow. We are looking forward to our Champagne Breakfast (thanks, Judy!) tomorrow morning, and our Couples Massage in the afternoon. I am hoping to get in a round at Pebble Beach on the golf simulator as well. In case anyone was wondering, the Casino opens up around 11 on Sea days. As we go to sleep we realize all we have to look forward to is a private tour of the Amalfi coast, and Day in Rome seeing the Treasures of the Vatican, as well as a host of other incredible experiences (including five days in Paris after the cruise). It’s going to take a year at least to wipe the smiles off of our smug little faces when we return to real life back home. Ciao everyone.

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you for the great posts! My only regret is that we will be flying to Barcelone on the 13th and will miss you later posts! Good to know there is a shuttle to town in Mykonos. We do not have a plan as yet, but I'm going to let our travel partners know what you did because it sounds perfect!

[teetee91477]

Did you tender in Mykonos? I want to do my own thing when I get there as well, so I hope that I am able to navigate the bus schedule to the beach and NOT miss the boat!!! Gets me a little worried, but all the Princess excursions to the beach are already booked solid, so it's either do it on my own or see if a lot of people cancel! Thanks for all the good info! Maybe we will see you in Barcelona as you are getting off the ship and we are getting on!!!